How to take a passport photo with your phone

Four things decide whether your photo is accepted: where you stand, how it is lit, who holds the camera, and how you look at it. Here is each one, in pictures.

Before you stand up

Sort out your hair and what you are wearing first. It is the one part you cannot fix afterwards.

Good example. Hair tidy and off your face. A plain top that fits.

Avoid this. Hair across the face, and a busy pattern that pulls the eye.

Find a spot

A plain wall and even light do most of the work for you.

Good example. A plain, empty wall. Nothing behind you.

Avoid this. Frames, shelves and curtains behind you.

Good example. Light on your face from the front, and no shadow on the wall.

Avoid this. Light behind you, so half the face falls into shadow.

Who holds the camera

This is the part most people get wrong. Your arms are simply too short — the camera has to be further away than that, and level with your face. The dotted line in each picture shows where the camera points.

Good example. Ask someone to stand back and use the rear camera, held level with your face.

Good example. On your own? Prop the phone at face height — a stand, or a stack of books. PhotoSpec takes the picture itself once you are in frame.

Avoid this. Both arms stretched out is still far too close.

Avoid this. One hand is the closest of all, and it points up at you.

Look straight at the lens

What counts as the right expression depends on the document. The app shows you which rule applies before you shoot, so you do not have to look it up.

Good example. Neutral: mouth closed, eyes open. This is what most passports and visas ask for.

Good example. A slight, closed-mouth smile — allowed by some documents, the US passport among them.

Avoid this. A wide grin with teeth showing, and a tilted head.

Good example. Where glasses are allowed: thin frames, clear lenses, both eyes visible, no glare. Some documents do not allow them at all.

Your photo, checked before you save it

PhotoSpec measures your photo against the published rule for the country and document you picked, and tells you before you pay. Taking and retaking is free.

A professional headshot has no country rule. You choose the backdrop in the app, so the colour of your wall does not matter — an even wall simply gives a cleaner edge.

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